Chapter 102
The letter fell onto the carpet with a "thud," its creases still stained with wet tears.
"No... I can't do it..."
She couldn't bear to stay at home alone, waiting for Yun Zhan to come back.
That would be worse than killing her.
Shi Mingyue wiped away her tears, sat up from the bedside, her heart burning with urgency... No, she couldn't let her father take Yun Zhan away; she had to go find her, right now.
She grabbed her handbag from the sofa, zipped it up haphazardly, and wrapped it around her wrist. Her fingertips slid across the phone screen so fast that she even missed unlocking it twice with her fingerprint.
My fingers were still shaking when I opened the ticketing app; the earliest flight was in an hour.
Now she could only buy the most expensive tickets, but that was nothing to Shi Mingyue. She hadn't even looked at the ticket prices, which were in the tens of thousands. She only breathed a sigh of relief the moment she successfully bought the tickets.
But after making the purchase, Shi Mingyue immediately gripped her phone tightly, her breathing quickened, and her lips trembled.
"What if we can't make it in time? What if Yun Zhan gets taken away by Father again?"
"Is there any way... for my father to tell me directly where Yun Zhan is...?"
"Calm down..."
Shi Mingyue ran her fingers through her hair, grabbed two pieces of clothing, and prepared to leave without even taking her makeup bag.
"Miss! Are you going out? Won't you change your clothes...? Do you need to pack your luggage...?" Wen Yuan's voice came from the corridor, filled with panic.
Shi Mingyue seemed not to hear, grabbed the car keys from the entryway cabinet and rushed out, her high heels making a rapid "thump thump thump" sound on the marble floor.
She didn't even turn around, only called out "No need" with her back to Wen Yuan, and before her voice even lingered in the air, she had already gotten into the car.
The engine roared and sped off, the shadows of the trees outside the car window rushed past, and Shi Mingyue's palms were sweaty as she gripped the steering wheel.
She dared not drive slowly, her mind filled with Yun Zhan's face.
The street scene outside the window rushed past, and the neon lights reflected on her face through the water droplets, flickering but unable to illuminate the panic in her eyes.
Shi Mingyue was well aware of how absurd she was in her current state.
Even though her father had clearly said that he was taking Yun Zhan to handle some matters and that Yun Zhan couldn't be in any danger, she still recklessly traveled thousands of miles, almost losing all sense of reason.
Her father's words in the letter still echoed in her ears: "A partnership should not be about control and being controlled" and "It should be built on trust." Every word reminded her that her obsession was wrong and abnormal.
Am I really sick?
Shi Mingyue gripped the steering wheel tightly, a tear sliding down her cheek.
Reason felt shrouded in a thick fog, impossible to penetrate.
When the traffic light turned green, Shi Mingyue turned her head and looked at her blurry reflection in the car window. Her hair was messy, her eyes were red, and her suit was still damp. She was nowhere to be seen as the dignified and calm eldest daughter of the Shi family.
She gave a self-deprecating smile, but a stronger sense of panic welled up inside her.
Even she herself felt something was wrong. Could it be that Yun Zhan had long been tired of her like this? Could he take advantage of this trip with his father to finally decide to leave?
The moment this thought popped into her head, it clung to her heart like a vine, making it hard for her to breathe.
She tried to close her eyes tightly, trying to banish those horrible images, but countless fragments kept flashing through her mind uncontrollably.
"What should I do? How can I alleviate this feeling..."
Shi Mingyue bit her lower lip; she no longer knew what to do.
She knew she shouldn't think this way. Yun Zhan had clearly said he was "willing to be left behind by her," and he was always docile and dependent when he was by her side. But the thought that "it's unsafe to be out of her sight" had long been an obsession etched into her bones, and she couldn't control it no matter what.
Even if everyone thinks she's paranoid and abnormal, she's determined to keep him firmly in her grasp. As long as Yun Zhan is within her sight, he's safe and belongs to her.
Upon arriving at the airport, she lifted the hem of her suit skirt and ran towards the security checkpoint, not even bothering to fix her disheveled hair.
When the security officer asked her to remove her jewelry, she stuffed her earrings into her pocket, almost dropping them on the ground.
"Hello, you are a star customer, there's no need to panic..." the flight attendant kindly reminded her, and respectfully led her to the first-class cabin.
"Okay, thank you for your help..."
Shi Mingyue gave a perfunctory reply, and even after sitting in her airplane seat, the hand fastening her seatbelt was still trembling.
During the two-hour flight, Shi Mingyue didn't close her eyes once.
She stared at the clouds outside the window, mentally rehearsing what she should say to Yun Zhan when she saw him.
Should we apologize to her?
For example, I'm sorry, I was too stubborn before, please don't leave again, okay?
Shi Mingyue thought for a while, but the more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and tears welled up in her eyes again. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, afraid that the passing flight attendants would see them.
As soon as the plane landed, before the cabin door was fully open, she stood up and prepared to walk towards the exit.
The southern wind, carrying moisture, rushed towards her face. The air, fresh from the rain, smelled of grass, yet it instantly dampened her hair.
A few strands of hair clung to her cheeks, sticky and messy, and fine water droplets clung to the shoulders of her suit jacket, making her look disheveled.
Normally, she would never show her face like this, but now, she just raised her hand and wiped her face haphazardly, walking towards the airport exit without stopping.
My phone suddenly rang; it was my secretary.
Shi Mingyue answered the phone, her voice still slightly hoarse from traveling: "What's wrong?"
"Ms. Shi, I... I've contacted the chairman's assistant."
The secretary's voice was cautious, as if afraid of upsetting her: "Mr. Shi has finished his work and is currently attending a banquet at the Yuncheng Hotel. Would you... would you like to go with him?"
"A banquet?" Shi Mingyue's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had found an outlet for her earlier panic.
Is Yun Zhan here too?
"The assistant said... Miss Yun is also here, she saw Miss Yun."
Before the secretary could finish speaking, Shi Mingyue hung up the phone and hailed a taxi.
The taxi stopped in front of the hotel. Shi Mingyue looked up at the hotel entrance, and as her gaze swept across the porch, she suddenly froze, as if she had been nailed to the spot.
Yun Zhan stood on the terrace not far away, wearing a moon-white floor-length gown with delicate silver threads embroidered on the hem, which shimmered softly under the warm yellow light.
Her hair wasn't tied up as usual, but fell naturally over her shoulders, the ends with a soft curve. A gentle breeze blew, and her hair swayed slightly, like a newly blooming jasmine flower, clean and gentle.
Yun Zhan held a glass of champagne in her hand, listening attentively to the person beside her. A gentle smile played on her lips, and a faint amusement lingered in her eyes. As she raised her hand to lift the glass, the delicate chain on her wrist swayed gently. Every gesture exuded a composed and elegant air, just like a true noblewoman.
Shi Mingyue's breathing stopped instantly.
She had never seen Yun Zhan like this before. In her memory, Yun Zhan was always quiet and rarely spoke to others. Most of the time, he was a little aloof, like a small animal that only needed to be protected.
She likes to wear black clothes, but has never worn a dress like this before.
At this moment, Yun Zhan's eyes shone, his smile was relaxed, and even when he talked to people, he had a perfectly composed demeanor. It was a vibrant and dazzling appearance that she had never seen before.
My heart felt like it had been gently bumped, a mix of soreness and tenderness, along with a strange sense of panic.
She realized that Yun Zhan could be so good, so good that she felt it was absurd of her to have kept him hidden in her room before.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
A gentle and steady voice suddenly rang out beside me.
Shi Mingyue suddenly came to her senses and realized that Shi Ke had been standing next to her at some point, holding a glass of wine in his hand, his gaze fixed on Yun Zhan, with a hint of relief in his eyes.
Shi Mingyue opened her mouth, but didn't say anything; she just nodded subconsciously.
Shi Ke turned to look at her, his tone earnest: "You have such a beautiful wife, you should let everyone know, instead of hiding her in your room and forcibly concealing her brilliance."
He paused, his eyes becoming more serious: "This child is very smart and knows how to behave properly. She was just reserved because you kept her under control for so long. If you love her, you should let her stand in the sunlight and show herself, and help her become more confident, instead of keeping her locked up by your side and using control to cover up your insecurity."
Shi Mingyue loosened her clenched fist. Looking at Yun Zhan calmly conversing not far away, and recalling her earlier actions of installing surveillance cameras and locking the door, her cheeks instantly flushed...
"It's my problem..."
What she thought was "protection" was actually stifling Yun Zhan's brilliance; what she thought was "keeping" him was just pushing him away with her obsession.
Even if she said she was pushing him further away, Yun Zhan would never leave her. Shi Mingyue knew very well that she was acting on her own.
She was just using the excuse of protecting Yun Zhan to keep him by her side by any means necessary. How could she not know that this would stifle Yun Zhan's brilliance?
The wind blew again, carrying with it the music coming from the hotel.
Shi Mingyue had only taken two steps when she saw Yun Zhan on the terrace seem to have sensed something and slightly turn his head.
His gaze swept across the crowd and met Shi Mingyue's.
Without dodging or showing the usual awkwardness and fear, Yun Zhan was stunned for a moment, then his smile deepened, and he slowly raised his hand, waving generously in Shi Mingyue's direction.
"Bright moon!"
She wore a pair of delicate white lace gloves, with tiny pearl patterns embroidered on the fingertips. Under the warm yellow light, they shone with a soft and clean luster, making her already fair wrists appear even more slender.
Yun Zhan's eyes shone brightly, as if filled with starlight. His gaze remained fixed on Shi Mingyue the entire time, without sparing any attention to anyone around him.
The surrounding noise and conversations seemed to become a blurred background, leaving only the clear joy and focus in her eyes.
Shi Mingyue stopped abruptly, her heart pounding as if it had been gently struck.
As she watched Yun Zhan wave to her, and looked into those eyes that only reflected her, her nose suddenly felt a little sore.
Yun Zhan, who had been trapped in the room by her before, would always subconsciously avert his gaze when she approached, and even speak with a bit of caution.
But now, Yun Zhan dares to look at her openly and boldly, and dares to wave to her. This frankness and brightness are more touching to her than ever before.
A gentle breeze blew by, lifting Yunzhan's skirt and also disturbing Shi Mingyue's heartbeat.
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